Foreign policy, an extension of national one: Mukherjee

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Last Updated: Wed, Nov 06, 2013 16:30 hrs

New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee Wednesday said India's foreign policy should be an extension of its national policy.

"Our foreign policy must be an extension of our national policy. There are certain basic fundamentals in our foreign policy that we have inherited from our core civilisation values and our freedom movement. They must continue to guide us in our relations with our neighbours," he told delegates of the fifth annual heads of mission conference, who called on him at Rashtrapati Bhavan here.

Mukherjee said India has always been committed to global peace but is conscious of the fact that efforts for the same should begin from its neighbourhood.

"We can change friends but not neighbours. Change is the only constant and India's foreign policy must adapt to changing scenarios in the world," he said.

The president said terrorism remains a major challenge. India was the first country to recognise at a high personal cost the threat that terrorism posed and to warn the world about it.

This challenge of terrorism needs to be addressed through greater collective efforts. No country can insulate itself from this menace, he said.